Learning
by punzelsanna
Summary: Post Frozen 2. Now living in the Enchanted Forest alongside the Northuldra, Elsa decides she's got a few things to learn about living like the People of the Sun. And a few more things to learn about her own feelings, and the snow that usually appears whenever she's with Honeymaren. ElsaMaren
1. Chapter 1

It seemed as though providing enough twigs and underbrush for Elsa to learn how to properly light a campfire would be a great challenge. Even for the Enchanted Forest.

Hunched over in a clearing beyond the Northuldra bathing area, Elsa arranged her small pile of twigs and dried underbrush with care. First, in a tripod design...and a second bunch in a log cabin shape. She refused to even glance at the dampened piles of singed twigs and brush all around her; evidence of many fire attempts, but no successes. Yet.

Elsa had also managed to break more than a few pieces of flint into pieces too small to strike with. "Come on, now…"

She squinted at her two triangle-shaped flint stones, then clapped them together over her twig tripod...and promptly grumped when the stickpile collapsed in on itself. Elsa wrinkled her nose and briefly entertained the notion that her flint could be defective. "Alright, fine...the cabin then."

A cool breeze rustled Elsa's hair, and she whimpered lowly in frustration while attempting to block her tinder from the wind. "_Gale...please._"

Elsa held her breath and prepared for another flint-strike. A moment later, she yelped and smacked the flint-stones together before toppling backwards. A sealed box of matches fell from the sky and smashed her little twig-cabin.

An exasperated groan melted into a weary laugh. Having lost count of her attempts and in no hurry to try again, Elsa kicked out her legs and squeezed the bitty pieces of two more flint stones. She giggled again and couldn't help but shiver as dry leaves crinkled underneath her.

Another nearby pile of dry leaves rustled, and out popped Bruni with a yawn and a sleepy chirp. She padded over and crawled onto Elsa's stomach, the hiss of steam rising from her warm paws.

Elsa laughed again, dropped her ruined flint, and rubbed the top of Bruni's head. "Good morning to you. Come to cheer me on?"

Bruni cocked her head to one side, flopped onto her belly, and flicked her tail up. Several bitty flame bursts swirled up, fizzled out, and swirled up again. A perplexed stare even as she let out more pleased chirps.

Elsa shook her head, smiled again, and dropped a little snow mound on Bruni's tail. "I do appreciate the offer, but I really want to get this right. Just so I...know I have the skill."

Seconds later, Elsa coughed abruptly as Gale plopped the black and orange box of matches on her chest. Already snoring away, Bruni didn't notice. Elsa, however, narrowed her eyes at the red, wax heart smeared onto the front of the box. She glanced up at the swirl of maple leafs dancing overhead. "Gale...did Anna set you up to this?"

And with a sharp whistle, Gale rushed off towards Northuldra, rustling tree limbs and laughing in the way only wind could.

"_Aha._"

Elsa would have marveled yet again at the Northuldra's uncanny ability to cross over dried leaves without so much as a crunch...but she settled for a surprised squeak and a sheepish blush. "Ah! Um...aha?"

Smirking knowingly, Honeymaren took in the surrounding land, and tapped her chin. "Yelana told me to go get the _determined little tree sprite_ who took all of our flint and was trying to start a forest fire."

Acutely aware again of the flint-bits scattered all around her, Elsa curled her hands around the box of matches and mumbled self consciously. "Um...sorry. Ryder pointed me towards the worn-out flint and said...go wild. Did I...take the wrong…"

Giggling softly, Honeymaren waved her hands shook her head. "Kidding, kidding, you're fine." She knelt down, combed a hand through the dry leaves, and scooped up several sharp, triangular flint-bits. "Yelana said I'd find a bunch of fresh arrow-heads over here."

The self conscious blush returned to Elsa's face, but she still managed a sheepish smile. "Wait. How'd she know I was going to...break it all?"

In the distance, Gale howled gleefully.

A light shrug, and Honeymaren nearly managed to hide her amused smile. "Because you didn't ask for steel...that's what you strike the flint with."

Wishing she could sink right into a bottomless pool of dry leaves, Elsa shrugged and pursed her lips. "Right. So then...smacking flint against flint is good for…"

"Making arrow-heads." Honeymaren easily shuffled four neat arrow-heads between her fingers, then narrowed her eyes playfully. "And cutting yourself, if you're not careful."

Elsa stared dumbly. Seconds ticked by, and brown eyes felt like a blanket of leaves sweeping over her in warmth. Eventually the rosy blush on her face demanded she look anywhere else, and she nudged the box of matches away.

Bruni let out a raspy chirp-snore and rolled onto her back.

Distant tremors of hop-scotching rock giants shook the ground.

Gale whooshed through the trees, a blizzard of maple leaves in her wake.

Far faster than she expected, Elsa looked back and chuckled weakly. "I...don't know things."

Pocketing the arrow-heads, Honeymaren selected a bright red leaf and waved it side to side in front of her face. Her smile grew. "But you **want to.** That's far more than most."

Moments later, a blizzard of leaves tumbled down over the pair. Elsa blushed hotly, quite aware of the solitary leaf Honeymaren had placed on her forehead...and the smattering of snowflakes Elsa had summoned in response.

_I've never felt this way before._


	2. Chapter 2

"Could you please give me some assignments?"

Seated cross-legged opposite the newest arrival, and sharing a blue, knit quilt by the embers of the morning bonfire, Yelana nearly spat out her tea. She squinted at Elsa, then sniffed her own tea before responding slowly. "What. Do. You. Mean?"

Suddenly self conscious at being on the receiving end of one of the stoic tribal leader's _special tones_, as evidenced by the curious stares from passers-by that followed, Elsa stuck her index finger in her tea and chilled it immediately. "Um, what I mean is...you know I've been trying to learn some basic skills. Things that any...any Northuldran...would know. Should know."

Yelana bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep a chuckle in check. "Well, you have step one of arrow-heads down nicely. As Fifth Spirit, what else do **you** think you should know?"

A heavy shrug from Elsa, but a small smile returned as Bruni hopped up onto her lap and kneaded paws against knees. "There's just so much, I don't know where to start. I mean, there weren't any records of culture, customs, any...**anything**...about the Northuldra in the Arendelle library."

Yelana cocked an eyebrow as she rustled the fire's glowing embers with the end of her staff. "Aside from your Spirit responsibilities and regularly counseling your sister on her queenly duties, you do plenty around here. I see you gathering berries. I see you washing clothes for our elders. I see you **trying** to work up the stomach fortitude to help clean the fish the forest provides us." An amused smirk followed, and Yelana watched as ember flecks sailed up over her head. "Most Northuldra learn by doing, but if you have another idea…"

Just then, Elsa smiled broadly at the memory of her seven-year-old self with a French tutor...and Anna peeking in the door, eyes wide and nodding along. "I'd really like to learn the language. That's not really something I've been good at just picking up on the fly."

"You would like to attend lessons with our young?"

At first, Elsa pictured herself crammed into a seat-and-desk far too small for her...and she cringed. Next, she imagined the under-ten children seated around her...and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Even they would be too advanced, and I don't want to slow down **their** education. I just…"

"We can set you up with an evening tutor. Some of us are more eloquent than others, but anyone here can teach you the basics of our language." Yelana took a long sip of tea, and did her best to hide the sudden swell of pride she felt for the flustered Spirit. "Who would you feel comfortable learning from?"

_**HONEYMAREN!**_ The thought came with such warm enthusiasm, that Elsa clapped a hand to her mouth, fearing she'd just blurted the name right out. A moment later, she let out an awkward set of coughs, before tapping her chin and feigning non-chalance. "Maybe Ryder could teach me? I mean, if he's not too busy. I mean I also speak a little Reindeer, so we have that in common and that could maybe help me, I mean I'm **not** saying Northuldra is Reindeer and anyway I don't **speak** speak it but well with Sven you can kind of understand what..."

"It's done, then. I'll let him know to expect you after dinner." Nodding shortly, Yelana rose to her feet and regarded Elsa a few seconds more. She smiled again. "This is a good step for you. Your mother would be proud."

Elsa mustered a bewildered smile and waved, even as she internally grumped at her mental snafu.

_Mouth, how could you betray me like that?_

Elsa decided that Northuldran was much, **much** more challenging than French. It didn't help matters that she had to practically beg Ryder to give her a list of grammar rules to memorize. He had stared at her long and hard then, mouth opening and closing in perplexion.

"I mean, I guess I could **try** to...rules. That's weird. Like, I can speak and read it...but I just sort of picked it up and...well, I'll give it my best shot. You put your trust in me and I won't let you down!"

Elsa, far too polite to request another teacher, summoned an enthusiastic nod and clapped her hands together. "That's very kind of you. I...just…"

"Know what I'll do? I'll get a list from Maren. She's got more of a head for that nitty gritty stuff."

Elsa did her best to wrangle the whine she let out and turn it into another cheer.

An hour later, mind buzzing with words upon words and sounds she didn't even know the human throat could make, Elsa mader her way back to her tent. Despite the circumstances, she already found herself diving right in, and flipped through several pages of hastily scrawled notes as Gale trailed playfully behind. Low murmurs followed.

"_These letters. This sound...and that sound...me. I. I...you…_"

"A lot on your mind, looks like."

Startled, Elsa tossed her notes in the air and squealed brightly.

A blur of darting hands and a dark, swishing braid.

_She's so quick._

Thankful for the low dusk light shrouding her cheeks a bit, Elsa drummed her knuckles together before waggling both hands anxiously. "Hah. Hey. Um...hi."

Honeymaren giggled, low and raspy, as she presented the notes she'd snatched out of the air. "Maybe I should wear a bell."

At that, Elsa hung her head and chuckled as well. "Maybe I should pay more attention." Elsa pinched the corners of the parchment, but a teensy tug didn't budge them...and her blush darkened.

Honeymaren wiggled the notes gently, eyes flicking down at the crunchy, leaf-covered forest floor. "My brother isn't going off on reindeer proposal tangents every five minutes, right?" She let out a bubbly giggle as Gale swirled around her and knocked her cap lopsided.

Elsa's face went crimson, and she whispered hotly. "_Gale!_" She quickly cleared her throat, though, and grasped for a fitting compliment. "He's fine! Great. It's, you know...I really appreciate it. I'm not afraid to...to put my nose to the...thing…"

Sensing tension, Honeymaren let go of the notes and patted Elsa's left arm lightly. "Hey, so your sister's coming up to visit, end of the week...right?"

Elsa visibly slouched and audibly sighed. "Yeah."

_Thank goodness. If there's one person who I could talk to. Who I could...ask...about…_

Honeymaren's warm smile didn't falter, and snatched Elsa's two quills off of the darkened forest floor in the blink of an eye. "Well then, I'll have that list of grammar rules ready for you tomorrow." She set the quills on top of Elsa's notes-stack and winked. "Maybe you can learn the Northuldran to ask your sister, _where's the cheese?_"

Elsa stared, again dumbfounded, until she finally managed to blurt out. "Wait! Um...how did you know I...I needed...that I **asked for**…" Trailing off with a rasp, Elsa shivered, as the familiar sensation of Nokk thundering around the Dark Sea in excited expectation of a long ride the next day, made the hairs on the back of Elsa's neck stand on end.

_Or is it the way her eyes twinkle...in any light._

Honeymaren folded her arms, cocked an eyebrow, and kicked a little pile of leaves over to Elsa's feet. "You strike me as a book-learner. And Ryder's a lot of things, but a book-teacher isn't one of them."

Elsa giggled self conscious and nodded, but quickly found herself preoccupied with the other question. The one on the tip of her tongue. The one she couldn't quite give voice to. At least, until Honeymaren bid her good night and turned towards her tent.

"**Where's the cheese?**"

Honeymaren's shoulders shook with laughter, and she shot Elsa an amused smile over her right shoulder. "The most important question in any language. Cheese just makes everything better."

Biting down on her bottom lip to keep any strange sounds from escaping, Elsa nodded quickly and waved. She waved as Honeymaren took several steps backwards, returned the wave, and finally headed through the dimly lit village.

After standing in that spot for a full minute, Elsa was finally roused when Gale spun around her and tickled her face with leaves. And in that tickle, Elsa sensed the hint of a question. She blushed brightly and shook her head, before heading to bid the rock giants good night.

"_No, Gale, I'm not gonna write Anna some desperate note that makes me sound five years old and hysterical!"_

An hour later, a note was on its way to Arendelle.

'_Anna. Things are perfect and absolutely nothing is on my mind. And that is absolutely a lie. See you on Friday. Love, Elsa.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Friday morning found Elsa tromping through the forest, her hair and leggings soaked after her hour-long ride with Nokk had turned into a three hour long game of tag between them, the rock giants, and Gale. She knew her way back to the village easily enough that she didn't need to look up...which was good, since she stared down at her hands and spoke in stilted Northuldran phrases.

With each word, Elsa counted another finger

"My name...Elsa. Cheese...where?"

Dimly aware of the shouts of children beyond the next tree-filled rise, Elsa rustled a few twigs out of her hair as she ducked her head and counted off a few more words. Murmured, with cheeks rosy.

"_You...pretty...go...date…_"

Leaves crunched underfoot as Elsa crested the next hill, wriggled her way through a mess of underbrush...and promptly halted.

One familiar voice, and Elsa blushed again as she tried **not** to peer through the dense foliage. A moment later, Gale foiled that plan completely by _whooshing_ against the foliage and sweeping a patch away neatly. Elsa shot a hunted glare up at the whistling wind and shrugged heavily...before giving in to the urge.

"You've really got an ear for this." Honeymaren folded her arms over a green and tan cloak featuring the side-by-side symbols of Northuldra and Arendelle. She flawlessly switched to her native tongue. "Elsa told me you were more of a natural, and now I see why."

Seated on the same log, Anna tugged her hair out of its sharp, queenly up-do, and immediately shook her head along with a nonchalant wave. "Most of what...I know is what I remember from the lullabies and...and...fairy tales Mom told us at...bed time." She waved at Olaf as the peppy snowman led a group of Northuldra children in a game of tag, then chuckled warmly. "I might know how to say stuff like...and then everybody married the fairy princess and they lived happily ever after. But give Elsa a few weeks and she's gonna be writing, like, how-to books on do-it-yourself Northuldra projects, **in** Northuldran."

The joy welling up in Elsa's chest at having spotted Anna quickly spiraled into flustered amazement.

_You speak it so well...but what did you just say there?_

Clearly impressed, Honeymaren switched fully to Northuldran and tucked her chin against her collar. A self conscious little smile followed. "When Ryder told me Elsa had asked him for language lessons, I mean...well, no, it's dumb."

Elsa's blush darkened, and she didn't even notice the shifted underbrush as it slowly crept back around and enveloped her.

_My name! I heard it...twice! What are they..._

Cheeks pinking, Anna jabbed a finger at Honeymaren and blurted out. "Pour!"

Honeymaren blanched, then smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "Um...pour?" She mimed upending a cup.

Anna giggled at her mistake, leaned in, and whispered. "Spill it, Honeymaren."

Just then, a barrel-sized boulder rolled right up behind Elsa, nudged her bottom, and she tumbled into the clearing with a harassed squeal.

Anna and Honeymaren shrieked as an inch-thick layer of snow plopped right over them.

Several miles away, the low rumble of rock-giant laughter echoed through the forest.

* * *

Blushing brightly, Honeymaren hopped right to her feet...and her cap fell right off. Her stare locked onto the ground. "**Elsa!** Hi, **Elsa!** We were just talking about...not, not **not not** talking about…" She stumbled backwards over her cap, snatched it up, and tugged it on inside out. A pleading stare in Anna's direction followed.

Anna managed to compose herself, barely biting back laughter at her sister's apocalyptic, leaf-riddled hair. "Going to...um...check on the reindeer?"

Elsa glanced up pathetically and nearly latched onto Anna's feet.

Inching backwards another few steps, Honeymaren fiddled with her cap again and croaked out her thanks. "Y-yeah. You know it. Those brats are a full-time job." Only after another backstep did she muster the nerve to look at Elsa. "Enjoy your company. See you...later?"

Face crimson, Elsa braced a forearm at the ground and pushed herself up just enough to pull back her tangled hair. Still, she couldn't help but smile, and bid her friend goodbye with one of her newest Northuldran words.

"Cheese."

At that, Honeymaren yanked her cap off again and mashed it against her mouth, before turning and hightailing it out of there.

Anna giggled softly, then reached over and plucked a few leaves out of Elsa's hair. "Wow. That was just…"

Elsa crawled over to the log, curled her hands against her cheeks, and let out a high-pitched whine.

"_I know._"

* * *

As this was Anna's first visit to the Enchanted Forest since her coronation, she was jam-packed with updates from Arendelle that were far too interesting to merely write about. Nevertheless, she grinned and touched Elsa's knee and asked who should speak first.

Elsa warbled gratefully. "**Please**, tell me things." Her hand curled over Anna's, and a genuine smile followed. "Good things...I hope."

Anna didn't miss a beat, shuffling a bit closer, until Elsa's head fell against her shoulder. "Well, first, everybody misses you...and sends their love."

* * *

Right after nodding her way through listening to Elsa's complex answer to a foreign currency exchange question, Anna shot a sly sidelong glance and slipped in an observation.

"You're in love."

Elsa nodded automatically, opened her mouth to respond, and slammed it shut as her brain ground to a halt. She gulped hotly, stared down at her toes curling in her sandals, and dimly wondered why she couldn't hear Gale whirling around overhead any more.

"Yeah. I...really am." Relief flooded Elsa's words, and she barely recognized her own voice as she sagged heavily against Anna's side. "At first, I didn't know what was going on." A nervous little laugh, a slow head shake, and Elsa let out a shaky breath as she slid her feet underneath the leaf-covered forest floor. "I kind of...still don't."

"Elsa."

A non-committal murmur.

"**Elsa.**"

Elsa pressed her cold hand against her warm face and warbled.

"Y-yeah?"

Anna leaned in and touched her forehead to Elsa's temple. "So, does **cheese** have some kind of a special meaning between you and Maren?"

Elsa grumbled sharply, wrapped her arms around Anna's shoulders, and mashed her face against thick cloak fabric. Grumbles turned to exasperated laughter, and soon, Elsa's shoulders were shaking.


	4. Chapter 4

Early Monday morning, Anna and Olaf left for their trip back to Arendelle. Elsa had followed alongside them, all the way to the edge of the forest, before giving more hugs and watching as the single-horse cart disappeared around the bend. Elsa's thoughts began to race almost immediately, suddenly unable to recall ninety nine percent of Anna's advice...and just then, Gale crept by and gently rustled the stack of papers in Elsa's hands.

In an instant, Elsa relaxed...a bit. She swept a hand along Nokk's crystalline mane, turning the steed back into water, and murmured warmly. "Can you please make sure Bruni's okay helping those badgers clear that old fallen tree, please? I'm going to hitch a ride with Samantha."

Nokk snorted and shook his head, clearly amused by the name Olaf had given to the rock giants. He trotted along the forest's edge, pranced around Samantha headed in the opposite direction, and then took off at a thunderous gallop.

In short order, Samantha bore Elsa through the forest on her shoulder...and hummed happily as Gale trailed leaves all over the bulky spirit.

Elsa, meanwhile, blushed upon realizing she had spent so much time with Anna that weekend, that she had barely seen Honeymaren.

_Could you ever feel the same? Or even...a little bit?_

Eyes flicked down to the scrawled pages of notes Anna had given her that morning, and Elsa brushed a hand along the first few lines.

'_I could tell you were kind of moony this weekend. Probably thinking about Honeymaren. So, in case you missed any of my spectacular Love Expert Lessons, I wrote them all down, here. And Elsa...thank you for telling me. You deserve every happiness and so much more...but if that Maren breaks your heart she's gonna have to answer to THIS Queen!'_

Elsa giggled sweetly, and a light flurry began to fall over the trio.

'_Alright. So, first you should do some warm-up exercises. This is what Kristoff did with me, before he...worked up to saying __**I love you**__. He calls them __**warm-up exercises**_ _because that's just what they were...nice, little things to sort of prime me for big things. Like love...or, in your case, even just expressing interest.'_

Elsa spent most of Monday and Tuesday in Ahtohallan with her study notes...and also made time to introduce her spirit friends to her snow memories. Bruni made a monumental fuss over little Anna, while Samantha performed a happy-happy rock dance around Marshmallow.

In that vibrant, joyful place, hours passed like minutes and minutes ticked by like seconds. Wednesday arrived in the blink of an eye, and Elsa rose before dawn to prepare...with the help of Anna's notes.

'_First, you're learning the language and doing great...so, use that! I'm sure Ryder won't mind if you get in some extra study time with Honeymaren. Kristoff did this with me when he taught me some of the Trolls' language. What you do is: make a bunch of flash cards with Northuldran words. Then, you have her quiz you, but in the middle of your word stack you're gonna want to…'_

Suddenly self conscious about her handwriting, Elsa spent that rainy Wednesday morning doing four anxious rewrites of her vocabulary flash cards. The thin, sparkling layer of permafrost she had decorated her tent-roof with had the added effect of muffling the pitter-patter of raindrops, so she pouted when she stuck her head out and got a wet face for her trouble.

_Darnit! We were gonna meet up at that grassy nook to study and...and...wait, is that __**her?!**_

Sporting a dark blue, baggy, hide poncho, Honeymaren waved as she tromped through little puddles. "You still want to study, right? The Fifth Spirit isn't afraid of a little water...right?"

Elsa shook her head abruptly, still staring at the swirling, thickly matted disc of clumped leaves hovering several feet above Honeymaren. She then blushed as a similar leaf-cover formed right over her tent-flap. "O-okay." She snatched her hide-satchel and shoved all four sets of flash cards inside. "I mean, if you're sure that…" Torn between taking several different bags of nuts, or one of the pouches of chocolate Anna had brought, Elsa eventually just grabbed them all and stammered as she turned back to leave. Only to find Honeymaren waiting right outside her tent, underneath a twice-as-large-as-before leaf-cover.

"Hope you enjoyed your time with Anna this weekend." A toothy grin, and Honeymaren swept the tent-flap back even as she shuffled over to make plenty of room under the cover. A shy glance at the pouring rain. "I missed you."

Elsa swore she heard Gale's breezy cackling overhead. She blushed and rubbed the back of her neck before shuffling out of her tent. "Me, too."

"So, you could change this rain into falling snow...if you wanted to?"

Finding herself pulled from the trance of raindrops tickling her left arm, while her right arm brushed up against Honeymaren's left, Elsa nodded her head abruptly and smiled. "I mean, I **could**...but...no. I mean, unless it was an emergency...but, no."

"Why not?" Suddenly, fingers brushed against fingers, and Honeymaren let out a nervous little laugh. "If that's okay to ask. I know snow's kind of...your thing...oh, I didn't mean it that way…" She trailed off, unsure as to why her right arm was suddenly wet...and her left, incredibly warm.

Caught off-guard by her friend's bashful reaction, Elsa nearly swallowed her tongue. "No! No, you're...it's fine." She distracted herself by turning her left hand palm-up and letting raindrops tickle it. She could tell Bruni was somewhere nearby from the faint hiss of steam, and the wet leaves against her bare feet filled her with a sweet, simple joy. "I think my magic **is** made of natural...um...things? But it's not exactly...nature." A few leaves fluttered away from the overhead canopy, and Elsa's eyes narrowed. "I like to not get in the way. When nature's doing its thing, I mean."

A slow nod from Honeymaren, and she nudged shoulders with Elsa. "You and your sister gave us back the sun. I don't think nature would mind if you played with it now and then." She then gestured past a close treeline...and then flapped her wet hand with a giggle. "That's our study spot." A soaked leaf tumbled out of the canopy and plastered itself to her forehead. She immediately cackled and swiped a wet hand over her forehead. "And I think we're losing a few leaves."

Elsa narrowed her eyes again and glanced up at the soggy leaf-cover. Playfully chiding. "_Gale._"

A one hundred percent innocent wind-whistle came in reply.


	5. Chapter 5

Seated on one side of a flat, circular rock, Honeymaren took the stack of flashcards Elsa offered and waggled a finger. "You ready? Anna talked up your intelligence pretty good the other day...I expect a hundred percent." She giggled as Bruni danced around behind her, blasting any of the wind-blown rain that got too close with a sizzling, purple fire.

"I'll get one ten." Elsa defiantly jutted out her chin, even as her stomach did flip-flops. She paled as she realized she had forgotten her shuffle-count, but clung to Anna's plan all the same.

'_Whatever you do, don't let her shuffle the flash cards...they have to be in the right order!'_

It was only after several stilted breaths, that Elsa realized she'd been staring all along...staring, as Honeymaren effortlessly shuffled and bridged the flash-cards. Elsa croaked in panic. "**Wait!**"

Pausing effortlessly mid-bridge, Honeymaren did a startled hop. "What is it? Did Bruni light me on fire?"

Chirping happily at being mentioned, Bruni hopped off the rock and belly-flopped into a large puddle. A cloud of steam rose against the rain.

Elsa blushed, then blanched as she felt a spot of ice forming under her rear. She giggled bashfully and offered vague hand-waving gestures. "Oh...nothing. **I mean…**" She quickly trailed off, gaze trailing down to fingers curled over and arching the flash-cards. Elsa gulped, mimicked the bridge maneuver awkwardly, and shrugged. "...that looked neat. Your hands. The cards."

A thin layer of ice gradually crept behind Elsa, along and over the boulder's edge. A few more wet leaves fluttered off the hovering leaf-cover.

"I could show you how to do it later. If you want." Splitting the pile into two neat stacks, Honeymaren hunched over. She didn't even bat an eyelash as several soggy leaves landed on her cap. "But first..." She pushed up the back card in her left-hand pile, then arched an eyebrow. "What does this mean?"

The rain quickly became a downpour, one which not even a thick leaf-roof could hold back. Gale whined, and leaves began to quickly tumble down.

Elsa couldn't stop herself, as she rested both hands on her ankles and leaned forward, too. "Lubię ser." Her face warmed, and she stared down at her squeezing hands with a sheepish croak. "_I like cheese._" Her whole body went rigid the moment she spied her index fingers pointing straight ahead.

_I like you!_

Suddenly, the leaf-cover blew apart in a sloppy, soaked mess. Elsa looked up just in time to get slapped on the face by a messy bunch of leaves...and the downpour that followed. She shrieked, tumbled backwards off of the boulder, and landed with a muddy _squelch_ on the forest floor below.

Honeymaren had lunged for Elsa, scattering flash-cards everywhere, and ended up face-down on the boulder...and buried in leaves. She dug her way through the pile, shimmied to the boulder's edge, and peeked over even as rain soaked her. "Elsa! Are you...okay?"

Covered from head to toe with leaves and mud, Elsa slapped a filthy hand against her forehead and laughed herself breathless. "**Lubię ser!"**

The chilly rain blurred her vision, but she kept right on laughing as she waved both hands insistently. "Lubię ser!"

Glancing left and right at the scattered, destroyed flash-cards, Honeymaren folded her arms underneath her chin and cocked her head to one side. She smiled, somewhere between amusement and affection. "Well, I guess you do."

Rainwater pooled around Elsa's legs, but it didn't stop her from opening her eyes and staring up in elated wonder. Her smile grew small and intimate, and she pointed again.

"Lubię cię."

Honeymaren didn't even notice Gale having stolen her cap. She quickly hid her goofy smile by mashing her face against her arms. The rain's chill was long gone.

Wrapped up in a grey-hide poncho, Yelana rubbed her eyes...and glanced to her right. "What did we just...see?" She shuffled from side to side self consciously, her net-full of fish jostled as Gale swirled around her playfully.

Ryder chuckled, then bumped shoulders with Yelana, before gesturing along a path that gave a wide berth to the study partners. "Something adorable."

At that, Yelana coughed sharply and cleared her throat. "About time, yeesh."


	6. Chapter 6

'_There's lots of things that can go wrong with the flash-card plan, so don't stress if something does.'_

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the rain drove down in an ear-rattling torrent. Still, Elsa only managed to prop herself up on her forearms...and stare. Wet bangs slipping over her eyes didn't bother her, as the rain also pushed them to either side in moments.

The only thing that really bugged her was the pounding rain nearly drowning out Honeymaren's voice completely. Soaked, windswept hair kept curling over her face as she laughed and did a clumsy shuffle-around. One leg slung over the boulder's edge, and a spluttered shout. "You're almost swimming down there! I'm gonna get down, then…"

Forgetting all about her powers, Elsa scrabbled to her feet, then blushed as she realized the pooling water came up over her ankles. And, had pushed her several feet away. She splashed her way forward. "**Wait!**" She reached up and pressed her hands against Honeymaren's back, fingers tangling in dark hair and sinking into wet, fur-lined fabric.

Honeymaren waited until her right foot found purchase next to her left, before glancing back over a shoulder, through rain-plastered bangs. Warmth and trust.

Elsa nearly swallowed her tongue, and immediately stared down at her submerged feet. She barely heard her own wet croak. "Careful...slippy." Rosy cheeks then burned as she felt warm weight press against her hands.

_You're warm. You're so warm._

Seconds later, Honeymaren stepped down again...and squealed gleefully as water rose to the top of her boots. "It's so deep!" She pocketed her soggy cap, swiped a hand over her wet face, and blushed as she realized Elsa's hands were still pressed against her back.

_Keep standing around like this and we're both liable to get sick...but I don't know if I'm quite ready to leave this moment. This...whatever this is._

Suddenly, the rain stopped...directly overhead, at least. Honeymaren shook her head, breaking free of her own bashful thoughts, and realized Elsa's hands were now absent. A large, translucent ice saucer curled out over the pair, and rainwater rushed over the edge in a torrent.

Honeymaren whirled around, nearly tripped as her boots squelched in the mud...and bit back an immediate laugh.

Elsa's gaze was still locked on her submerged feet, even as one finger pointed up at the cover. Blue and white tendrils of magic still swirled from her fingertip. She shuffled from left to right, grimaced at the muddy squelches that followed, and finally glanced up with a sheepish little smile. "I forgot I could do this."

Now able to hear every word with stomach-twisting crystal clarity, Honeymaren flipped her soaked hair-mess over a shoulder, and didn't bat an eyelash when it wrapped right around her neck and slapped her cheek. "I thought you liked to let nature do its thing?"

Her eyes kept drifting to the faintly sparking magic swirls...and the fingertip below.

Elsa covered her mouth and snorted mirthfully. "I forgot about that, too."

Whistling happily, Gale whirled and darted through the rain, a soaked wad of flash-cards in tow.

Together, the pair did a slow, mud-caked turn. Elsa's left hand immediately warmed at the memory of touch, and she barely nudged it against Honeymaren's back again. "Shall we head back and_...dry off_?" Her words trailed off in a shy rasp, and she yanked her hand back to her side...immediately missing the contact again.

"Tea in my tent after this rain passes?" Gulping thickly, Honeymaren ducked her head and thanked the Spirits for wet hair covering rosy cheeks. "I mean...if there's anything you'd like to..._talk about._" Her murmur trailed off again when she remembered.

_She's a spirit. She's Elsa. She makes me feel...__**this.**_

Elsa tried to nod, then couldn't be sure if she had actually nodded, so she wriggled a shoulder against Honeymaren's and croaked lowly. "_I'll bring the tea._" Her thoughts raced back and forth, between her stomach-churning warmth and the next item on Anna's list.

'_Next, you can make her some tea. Use the two packages marked Chamomile and Peppermint. I figure you aren't quite ready for more...personal...warming...but this stuff is the next best thing. Got it as a bonus from my first trade agreement. Let me know what you think! And, what Maren thinks…'_

The ice-cover stretched wide enough to serve five people. It wasn't absolutely necessary for Elsa and Honeymaren to stick side-by-side as they slogged back towards camp. They chose to stay close, shoulders pressed together and fingers occasionally brushing.

* * *

Once back in her tent, Elsa dried herself off in a matter of seconds, and immediately giggled as she felt the Nokk gently prod her subconscious. Elsa shook her head and replied with an amiable yet challenging thought.

_Nokk, dear, not everyone thinks drying off is blasphemy._

A shiver ran down Elsa's back, and the telltale arm-hairs standing on end let her know her water Spirit friend dearly wished for tomorrow to arrive quickly.

_Of course, we'll go for a long ride tomorrow._

Sensing the Nokk heading further away, Elsa prepared to bid it good-night, but a funny tickle at the back of her neck made her grumble bashfully instead.

_I don't know __**what**_ _Gale told you, but it was a perfectly innocent study session!_

Outside, the rain had slowed significantly, and Elsa turned her attention back to her attire. One simple phrase returned time and time again, though. It demanded all of her attention.

'_Lubię cię.'_

None of her ice-dress alterations pleased her. Pant-suit versions fared no better. Skin on skin warmth left her completely befuddled as to what she should wear.

_I've never been inside her tent before. From what I understand of Northuldra culture, that invitation is...no small thing._

With one final, overwhelmed huff, Elsa summoned her ice dress...and immediately dismissed it in a snowy blast that flew out into the rain. She pouted hard, rolled onto her cot, and wrapped herself up in her purple bedsheet.

'_Lubię cię.'_

Elsa's gaze drifted around the back of the tent. Books, reams of paper, charcoal, Anna's care package crate...and a small, rolled-up set of fur garments. Tan, black, and dark grey. Wriggling to the edge of her cot, Elsa brushed a hand along the fur-lined fabric. A sweet tingle lit up her palm, and it struck her as nothing like her magic.

'_Lubię cię.'_

* * *

A half hour later, armed with her twin packages of tea leaves, a brass teapot, and two clay mugs, Elsa squelched her way to the nearest fire pit...and giggled affectionately. A small fire already flickered there, tinged with purple, and Bruni immediately hopped out to join Elsa on her damp stone slab.

"Gale put you up to this? Thank you, little one."

With Bruni's help, Elsa prepared the tea quickly, and just managed to shuffle her way over to Honeymaren's tent as the first stars blinked into the darkening evening sky. She paused by the tent flap, stared down at the two steaming mugs, and blushed at the bits of ice snaking out from underneath her boots.

_Calm down, it's okay, it's fine, it's what it is and I'm just going to…_

Wearing a simple grey top and leggings, Honeymaren pushed the tent flap back and poked her head out. "Oh! " Her face lit up immediately, but she schooled it into a playfully challenging stare. "Oh, thank goodness...**it fits.**"

Elsa skipped right past the chiding and held out both steaming mugs of tea. "Was I supposed to knock? How do you knock on a tent?" She glanced down again, gulped at the fading yet still visible ice patch, and smiled tightly. "_Sorry._"

Honeymaren didn't even glance at the ice, instead taking both mugs and relishing the peppermint-chamomile scent. "That smells **amazing.**" Her cheeks warmed against the steam, and she stared back up at Elsa through swooping bangs. Voice low and earnestly reassuring. "_When you know somebody's expecting you...they're expecting you. Get in here, soggy spirit._"

Only when Elsa managed to extract her feet from her new boots did she find they were, once again, soggy.

* * *

"Oh, wow." Sip. Lips licked. A longer sip. Seated cross-legged by her cot, Honeymaren wriggled happily and let out a worn-out sigh. Followed by a shiver. "I've never had tea like this. Sort of warm and fuzzy and..._oh_, just the thing after a cold rain."

Elsa knelt just inside the tent flap, on a thatched mat, and politeness dictated she look nowhere else but directly in front of her, or down at the mat's edge. She nodded slowly, then stilled...and distinctly heard chattering teeth. A low, concerned murmur. "_Oh._" She glanced left, spied a tan, folded quilt, and set her mug down. "May I blanket?"

_Did that just come out of my mouth?_

Honeymaren nodded slowly, still cradling the mug to her lips as though it was a precious resource. Her gaze slid down as a pleasant sleepiness seeped into her limbs...and she spied pale, wavy hair. Right in front of her. Swallowing thickly, Honeymaren blushed as tea dribbled from the corner of her mouth...and her warmth doubled. "_Oh._"

Draping the quilt over broad shoulders with care, Elsa drew the corners down over Honeymaren's arms...and smiled warmly. For a moment, she forgot how close she'd gotten, and wound the quilt corners into a gentle knot that rested against Honeymaren's bare feet.

"You were out there today...for me. I won't let you get sick."

It took several side to side glances before Honeymaren realized she wore the blanket. She licked her lips, rolled the now-empty mug back and forth in her hands, and looked back up...to find Elsa still only inches away. "You didn't really get to learn much. And I kind of ruined those nice..._flash-cards._"

Honeymaren's raspy croak tickled Elsa's ears, and it was only then that she felt toes curling in her hands. Elsa blubbered hotly and shuffled back onto the thatched mat. "**Sorry!**"

Finding herself oddly relaxed, Honeymaren set aside her mug and squeezed her bare feet. Warmth lingered. She cocked her head to one side and furrowed her brow. "For what?"

Caught staring dumbly at her own hands, Elsa swallowed thickly and flipped them front-to-back a few times. "Maren…" An uneasy shrug. "This is…" More hand-flipping. Chin tucked against collar, and pale hair swooping over rosy cheeks. "_I don't really know…_"

At that, Honeymaren giggled softly and rocked back and forth. "_I don't really know either, Elsa._" She extended her right leg and nudged Elsa's mug a bit closer to the flustered Spirit. "But...I think the tea helps."

Elsa nodded wordlessly, and reached for her mug. She paused, just for a moment, and pursed her lips thoughtfully. She then reached right past the mug and tapped Honeymaren's right big toe...then retreated back with her own mug, and sipped as though it would ease the blazing warmth on her face. The soft giggles Elsa received in response only made things worse...and immeasurably better.

_Lubię cię. I don't know anything other than that...but I can learn._


	7. Chapter 7

Sensing eyes on her, Elsa gulped down her tea...just in time to shriek and tumble forward as Ryder called out from just outside the tent.

"Yo, Maren!"

Honeymaren did a triple take at Elsa's clumsy somersault as the tea mug rolled away. Elsa warbled bashfully, flopped onto the cot, and wriggled her way as far underneath the simple fur bedspread as she could.

Giggling affectionately, Honeymaren patted the Elsa-blanket-lump, before shuffling her way to the tent flap. She pulled the flap back, glanced down at the bitty bow Elsa had tied the quilt-ends into, and let out an embarrassed chuckle. "I'm here, Ry. What's going on?"

With a lantern at his side, Ryder arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Breakfast tomorrow is fish jerky and root surprise."

Honeymaren nodded slowly, eyes narrowing as she poked her head out of the tent. "Uh...yeah, I know. I helped prepare it. You know. **This morning.**"

Ryder stroked his chin stubble and nodded intently. "Oh yeah, now I remember." A little smile, and he shuffled his boots noisily in the mud. "That was before it started to rain...right?" His smile grew until his dimples showed.

Elsa's muffled, consternated whine traveled the few feet to Honeymaren's ears, and she bit down on her tongue to keep from laughing. Instead, she summoned a daggers-glare and a threatening grin. "I will hide a snake. Somewhere. In your tent."

That made Ryder pause, and he chuckled weakly as his face paled. Not one to easily be outdone, he shrugged and waggled the lantern. "Actually, I was just looking for Elsa. See, she wasn't in **her** tent, and me and Blaine are going out for a night-ride. So, no lesson tonight...can you let her know for me?" He gently dragged his fingernails down the side of the tent, and his knowing smile returned. "I mean, if you happen to see her around tonight."

Feeling her cheeks gradually warming, Honeymaren grasped either side of her tent flap and drew them to her cheeks. "Feel free to slip on all the reindeer poop you see." She blew a raspberry, then began to shuffle back in her tent...but paused.

"_Hey._" Ryder's voice softened considerably, and he stepped back as he held out his lantern. His smile settled somewhere between reassuring...and amused.

This time, it was Honeymaren who looked away, gaze dropping to the twin muddy boot-holes just outside. She grumbled, and glanced back up with a furrowed brow.

At that, Ryder shook his head and guffawed. "_Aw, man. Get it, sis._" He made it five steps away, before a glob of mud splattered against his back...but he kept right on laughing and trekking through camp.

* * *

After several more seconds of relishing the cool, night breeze on her face, Honeymaren went back inside. Her face brightened again the moment she spied Elsa, back by her bedside and fussing with the fur sheet. Still flustered and fumbling for words, Honeymaren stacked both tea mugs by Elsa's muddy boots...and promptly froze, when Elsa broke the silence.

"Sometimes, Anna used to sit outside my door...and read stories." A dry laugh. Elsa shook her head and carefully smoothed out the bedspread's wrinkles. "Out loud." She sighed, then turned around and eased back against the low bed. "To me."

Honeymaren nodded slowly, then gulped as she spied Elsa's finger tracing small circles on the fur floor next to her. Honeymaren wordlessly inched back to that spot, drew her knees to her chin, and nodded again.

"I loved when she'd read about wild horses. Far-off lands. Dark, dangerous dungeons...and dragons with their immense treasure troves." Elsa giggled shyly, drawing comfort from running her hands along her fur-lined breeches. "And the magic..._of course._"

Honeymaren intoned encouragingly. "_Of course._" Her hands worked of their own accord as she carefully unwound the blanket bow.

Elsa shook her head, her smile matching her exasperated tone. "But...a king? A **prince**?" She pressed a hand to her forehead, slid it down over her eyes, and hung her head as her cheeks blazed. "_She read. She spoke. She...rambled._" Several quick breaths followed, and Elsa swallowed thickly, before letting her right arm fall to her side. A heavy shrug. "And I didn't get it. Never did. Still don't. Not like…" She trailed off with a dizzy, perplexed warble...and stared dumbly at the blanket stretched over her shoulders. "_Not like…_" Warmth flooded her face, even as snow flurries fluttered around in the tent.

Rubbing her shoulder against Elsa's, Honeymaren gulped, and turned her shaky hand palm-up. Everything in her ached to move. To touch. To affirm. Instead, she trembled and croaked hotly. "_You are...the bravest._"

Under the blanket, Elsa's hand found Honeymaren's...and the latter shuddered, with a pleased sigh, at the touch.

Swallowing thickly, Elsa laid her head on Honeymaren's shoulder, and murmured with a shiver. "_Lubię cię._"

A moment later, both women shrieked, as a great gust of wind blew into the tent...and carried with it, a hastily-folded paper plane.

'_You know being out in the rain all afternoon is just gonna get the both of you sick, right?'_


	8. Chapter 8

After a handful of visits to Ahtohallan, Elsa knew the memory-glacier by sight. By scent, in the crisp chill that filled her lungs and woke every part of her being. By sounds, in the low hum of spirit energy coursing through the air and ice.

_I'm coming._

Now far calmer, the Dark Sea stretched out in every direction. Elsa breathed in the cold, night air, as the ethereal blue-white glow of her destination grew on the horizon.

_But something feels...different._

She reached out for the Nokk's reins, but grabbed at only air. Elsa looked down...and her stomach flip-flopped as all she saw was wave after wave of the Dark Sea racing by underneath her.

_Wait, that's not right. The Sea isn't racing…_

A glance left, then right. Swirls of blue, white, magenta and green raced alongside Elsa, dipping down along the waves and arcing overhead in playful swirls. Elsa gulped as a giddy shiver crept over her body.

_It's different...but still familiar._

Elsa raised her arms up, relishing the wind-trail Gale projected...and didn't even bat an eyelash when she couldn't see her arms. Her legs. Her anything.

_This doesn't feel real. It's like...almost like…_

The faintest hint of understanding had just started to shine through, when all of a sudden, Elsa slipped. Her speedy arc curved down towards the water, and she looked up again just in time to see Gale, Bruni, Nokk, and Samantha soar straight up. Playful, encouraging bellows filled the air as they twisted around and crashed through each other.

Even as Elsa hit the water, she roared with laughter.

_Something new! I have to tell...have to tell…_

* * *

Elsa awoke with a start, jumbled thoughts racing a mile a minute...and promptly spluttered against a mouthful of hair. "Guh?!" She fumbled with her hands in the dark, shivered as a fur-blanket slipped off of her shoulders, and she tumbled right over.

Right on top of Honeymaren, now halfway onto her bed, who shook with barely restrained laughter. "_Oh no, I'm being attacked._"

Elsa went rigid and stammered for a good ten seconds. She guessed where her cheek was, based on the long hair tickling it and the strong _thump-thump_ of a heartbeat. "I-I-I-I'm I mean I..." Flustered thoughts manifested into quick, shallow breaths, but every time Elsa tried to push herself up, she only found fur clothing. And underneath that...more warmth.

Just then, the Nokk roared in Elsa's thoughts.

_**ELSA, CALM DOWN OR I'M GONNA FIND YOU AND SIT ON YOU! YOU'LL GET WET...VERY VERY WET!**_

The idea of being sat on by the very wet physical manifestation of a water spirit didn't unnerve Elsa nearly as much as the idea of it happening with Honeymaren right there...so she just held her breath and tried to stay as still as possible.

With each passing second, Elsa's face reddened, as she slowly took stock of her position...and every point of contact.

_Her hand's on my shoulder._

_Her cheek's against my hair._

Just then, Elsa realized the tremors in her left hand weren't coming **from** it...but from Honeymaren's stilted breaths.

_My hand's on her stomach._

Honeymaren giggled bashfully, drummed her fingertips against Elsa's left shoulder, and murmured. "_If you want to go. Right now. That's okay._"

And in that moment, Elsa's racing thoughts all grew silent to one insistent truth.

_I want to stay right here._

Unfortunately, the thought didn't quite make it to her lips, as she grimaced and chuckled dryly. "I'm afraid if I do **anything**, the Nokk will come here and sit on us." Elsa's uneasy chuckle turned into something richer and more genuine, only when Honeymaren's rich laughter joined in. Elsa both wallowed and revelled in finding her face capable of even warmer shades of blushing.

_Her stomach quivers when she laughs._

Gradually, two sets of breaths evened out. Elsa became acutely aware of the bed's edge, and how far on it both she and Honeymaren were. Before allowing her worries to shift to that, though, Elsa drew her left hand to her collar and croaked self-consciously. "How long was I…?" Her voice trailed off as her eyes adjusted to the sliver of moonlight in the tent.

Honeymaren closed her eyes and shook her head. "Maybe ten minutes. Not long at all." She took another deep breath, then looked away as her face warmed. "Maybe longer. Maybe I lost track." The final betrayal came as her mouth snatched an embarrassed thought and ran with it in a rushed murmur, bookended by a nervous giggle. "_Maybe I like your smell and I just kind of turned off my brain._"

Elsa's mouth went dry, and she finally summoned the courage to look up. She stared at Honeymaren's jawline until her lungs reminded her that breathing was a good idea...and only realized, after the fact, that her left hand had eased over Honeymaren's stomach again. Blushing brightly, Elsa nuzzled against dark hair...and immediately related.

"_You smell like my favorite day outside._"

* * *

Another ten minutes crept by, the air thick with loud breaths and little posture shifts. With an exhale almost defeated in tone, Honeymaren arched her back and groaned softly. "Be feeling that tomorrow."

Elsa blanched at the soft _pop_, then struggled to push herself upright. "Oh, I'm sorry. There I was, just…" Elsa leveled a confused stare as her right arm slid out from under Honeymaren's back, and hung limply at her side. "It's...it's…" She prodded it a few times, yanked the fur-sleeve up over her bicep, then grimaced with an exasperated murmur. "_Pins and needles._"

Honeymaren shrugged off the blanket, popped right up, and began to squeeze up and down the length of Elsa's arm. "See now, this wouldn't've happened if you weren't so comfy."

Elsa giggled, then groaned again as feeling returned to her arm. "That's my line."

With one last stroke, Honeymaren slid her hands down around Elsa's wrist, and stared at pale skin for what felt like seventeen years...a few seconds. She cleared her throat, awkwardly stared down at her lap, and tugged Elsa's shirt-sleeve back in place. She chewed on her tongue, and her shoulders drooped when her brain finally fed her words.

"Can I ask what you were dreaming about?" Right away, Honeymaren's thoughts slammed to a halt, and she spluttered hotly as she clapped her hands together. "Wow, hang on, sorry, that was a **very** personal question and it's not at all my business like…"

With rosy cheeks, Elsa eagerly interrupted. "I was flying!"

"Really? You mean like…" Honeymaren flapped her hands at either side, then ducked her head at how silly the gesture felt.

Elsa's hair flopped this way and that as she bobbed her head. "In the air, yeah. I was with the other spirits, over the Dark Sea, and we were just…" Her lips quirked, then pursed, and she stared down at her open palms...before sending several snaking tendrils of magic winding and criss-crossing each other overhead. They gently bounced off the tent-top, and off of each other, in a chilled shower of sparkles.

One trail bounced off of Honeymaren's disheveled hair, and she giggled sweetly as she watched it settle into a long, downward spiral. She nibbled on her bottom lip thoughtfully.

Elsa shook her head as her shoulders twitched with a self effacing chuckle. "And then I fell in the water. I think **they** were laughing at me." She murmured as her eyelids began to droop. "It felt **so** real."

"You should talk to Yelana about that. Your spirit powers could reach into the dreamscape."

Elsa pressed her mouth against the crook of her elbow and yawned widely. "Dreamscape? Oh, excuse me."

Honeymaren yawned too, and used that mutually sleepy-unguarded moment to swipe a thumb along Elsa's forehead, neatly pushing her long bangs to one side. She smirked knowingly. "Lots to learn."

Elsa hung her head, a dopey little smile plastered on her face as her eyelids drooped again. "Lubię się uczyć." Easy comfort crawled over her in warm little shivers, and her head bobbed sleepily as the bit of ice clinging to her knees faded to nothing. Seconds later, she glanced up again, and her eyes crossed at the finger stroking down between them and over her nose.

Bashfully perplexed at what she found herself in the middle of, Honeymaren froze. She swallowed thickly, rocked back against her bed, and shoved both hands between her thighs. "_Sorry. __**Wow**__, I'm sorry, that was...you just look tired, and maybe it's just time to get into bed. Go to bed. Your bed. My...your bed __**you**__, my bed __**me**__, I mean…_"

Honeymaren's flustered ramble halted abruptly, as Elsa rocked forward and pressed her forehead against her shoulder.

"_I like you. May I stay with you, tonight?_" A deep, shuddering breath, and Elsa curled her hands over her knees and squeezed. "_Just...stay._"

Blinking back sudden tears, Honeymaren murmured hoarsely and combed a hand through Elsa's hair. "_I'd like that._"


	9. Chapter 9

Like a stone dropped into a pool, the distant warning rippled underneath Elsa's subconscious.

_Fire._

She let out a sleepy grumble, sought out Honeymaren's hand on her waist, and drew it securely over her stomach.

_**Fire.**_

The louder warning came with a buzzy headspace vibration, and Elsa grumbled again as she turned and pressed her face into her pillow. One bare foot stretched out over the bed's edge, toes grazing the floor and breeches pushed up to Elsa's knee.

The Nokk bellowed.

_**FIRE!**_

A spherical blob-mass of cold tea flew into the tent and splashed against Elsa's cheek. She jerked awake with a cry, threw herself off the bed, and clambered her way right out of the tent. Immediate disorientation struck her as her vision filled with a moonlit and starlit night sky, a small campfire several yards away, and Yelana seated nearby.

Elsa scowled, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and the tea from her face...and blanched at her now mud-caked hands, legs, and face. She staggered to her feet, no longer bothered by the squelching mud, and made her way over to the campfire with a frustrated mumble.

"_Nokk._"

Yelana turned at the sound of muddy footsteps, and her initial grumpy countenance slipped at the sight of a mud-caked and wet-chinned Elsa. "Good morning, Elsa." Huffing half-heartedly, Yelana mustered a feeble pout. "My tea flew away."

Elsa chuckled weakly and bowed her head. "I'm sorry about that. If cold tea is your thing, I've got plenty left over here." With a flick of her wrist, Elsa sent a snaking trail of ice magic several tents over. It curled around her brass teapot and brought it to rest with a soft _clang_, on Yelana's rock bench.

Yelana cracked a little smile, but quickly found her attention split between the state of Elsa's clothing, her still-evident panic, and where she'd come from. Grey eyes flicked towards Honeymaren's ajar tent-flap, and Yelana scratched her cheek. "Everything...alright? You, ah...you got out of there in a...hurry?"

Elsa began to rub at her mud-flecked cheeks, but quickly decided her blush was better off obscured. "The Nokk told me something was…" She gestured at the fire, then pinched the bridge of her nose with a sleepy sigh.

Taking care to pour her fresh tea, Yelana shrugged and nodded towards the campfire...still smiling a bit. "Spirits have their own idea of what humor is. Why, I remember..."

_**NOT HERE! LET'S GO!**_

Elsa stumbled backwards at the Nokk's booming call, but could only stare with mouth agape as her water spirit friend burst out of Yelana's teacup in a shower of both tea and water.

_**Fire!**_

Elsa grimaced, but hopped on, and mustered a queasy, apologetic smile as she waved at Yelana. "I'm, uh...sorry! I'm...**we're**…" Her apology faded into the wind as the Nokk thundered away at full-speed.

Swiping a hand down over her wet face, Yelana glared at her empty teacup, then set it down with a resigned sigh.

"That's it, I'm quitting tea."

Meanwhile, Honeymaren had managed to sleep through the whole ordeal. Another ten minutes passed, before she began to grope sleepily for her absent girlfriend. She found no Elsa, but managed to scoop up enough blankets and pillows to satisfy her desire to have her arms and legs wrapped around **something.**

* * *

After three hours riding west at a near-sprint, Elsa finally spotted billows of smoke beyond the next grassy rise. She anticipated Nokk's alerting, and reached forward to stroke the spirit's mane.

_Important!_

Elsa nodded quickly, already beginning to form several bulky, flurry-filled mists right behind. "We'll take care of it. Thank you for being...sort of...patient...while I'm still learning how all of this…"

Nokk halted at the top of the hill, just as the sun began to creep over the far horizon.

All Elsa could do was stare...and feel her jaw slowly drop. Miles and miles of wildflowers covered the immense landscape before her. Violets, roses, tulips, and daisies of every color blew in the wind. Great swaths of the flower-field burned brightly. Elsa sat back, yawned, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Nokk. They're flowers. Flowers."

Nokk responded by stamping the ground and snorting sharply. They relaxed considerably when Elsa waved her hand, sending a dozen of the flurry-mists streaking across the field in a rapid fire-suppression effort.

* * *

Smoke continued to billow out over the field, but dissipated as the sun crept higher in the sky. Elsa yawned again, rubbed her eyes, and quickly realized how little she had actually slept that night. Suddenly weighed down by a sleepy head-buzz, Elsa flopped forward and nestled her chin against Nokk's mane.

She squinted left and right, then slurred sleepily. "Why...so tired...now?"

Nokk's thoughts, tranquil now, nudged at Elsa's thoughts warmly.

_Samantha thanks you. Rest._

Elsa let out a perplexed hum as Nokk laid down on the grass and dipped their head. "_But...why...flowers…_" And with that, she dropped off into a light snore-filled slumber as the sun crept over her form.

Several minutes later, the ground trembled with faint tremors...and Nokk gave a low rumble.

_Step lightly._

The tremors abated a teensy bit, and in short order, Samantha lumbered to the top of the hill. She stood there for another minute, taking in the mostly preserved flower field...then directed her attention to her spirit friends.

_Thank you. Sleep?_

Elsa let out a phlegmy, rattling snore, wrapped her arms around Nokk's neck, and shuffled lower.

Nokk chuckled, another low rumble, and opened one eye.

_Sleep. Welcome. Gale and Bruni?_

Great boulders shifted as Samantha shrugged.

_Playing in Forest._

She stared back out at the flower field, and let out a relieved sigh.

_Sleep. I guard._

Elsa snored on.

* * *

_Push._

The ice palace's front door creaked, then wobbled slightly.

_Push, push, push!_

The tiny, flurrying cloud began to dissipate. From two hundred miles away, and still snoring soundly, Elsa reached across the distance and steeled her concentration.

_Keep it together, now. I can do this._

A low, buzzing hum shook the door, and Elsa's flurry puffed up a bit. She mashed her form against the door, and let out a great cheer when the door slid open just enough for her to wedge herself inside.

_Can anyone see me like this?_

_Can they tell how...happy...I feel?_

She flitted around the opening hall, swirled around still-pristine ice columns, and marveled at her first close-up look at the ice cornices she herself had made years ago. Room, to room, to room...but Elsa halted by the grand staircase entryway.

_More time to let everyone know I'm still thinking of them. More hours in a day...in a night._

Sprawled out in a great pile in front of the staircase, Marshmallow and an avalanche of snowgies also slept soundly. Elsa floated over, realized her flurry had turned into a light snowfall, and tried to quell it...but her joy just made the flakes fall faster.

_I'm a part of nature. And these lives I made, every one...are all important._

Snowflakes showered over the snowgies as, one by one, they awoke...and stared up at Elsa's flurry. One by one, they shuffled over to Marshmallow, and gave the great big snowman playful little nudges.

_I'd like to show this place to Honeymaren._

With a rumbling yawn, Marshmallow awoke, and stared up just as the first snowflakes dusted their head.

"Mama?"

Elsa's flurry swelled up even more, arched over the whole room, and swirled around playfully as even more snow fell.

_You look wonderful in that crown, little one._

Marshmallow threw their arms up and roared with glee.

"MAMA!"

* * *

'_I'm sorry I ran off without saying anything last night. This morning. There was a fire in a flower field, and I guess Samantha really loves flowers. Anyway...want to go for a walk tonight? _

_P.S. Samantha picked a few flowers for you. They're from the both of us.'_

Seated around the low-burning campfire, Ryder and Honeymaren munched on fish jerky...and he kept giving her expectant side-eyed glances.

"Oh, tell me it's a poem. Gotta be."

At that, Honeymaren turned away and jutted out her chin. "Bite me, Ry." A moment later, she yelped as Gale darted by...and dropped a pile of red, blue, and yellow flower petals on her head. They tumbled down her shoulders and back, pooled on her lap, and found a nice home throughout her braid.

That time, Ryder didn't even glance over, but sniffed the air with a curious little hum.

"Flowers. Cute."

Honeymaren blushed hotly, inhaled the rest of her jerky, and ate the smattering of flower petals it came with. Then, she folded up Elsa's note and tucked it away. She wriggled as petals slipped under her collar, and knew she'd be digging them out for the rest of the day...but didn't mind one bit.

_They can stay right there. They feel nice...and smell even better._


End file.
